Find a personal injury attorney Blaine MN

Should you consider Find a personal injury attorney for your case in Blaine MN?

WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER HIRING A PERSONAL INJURY LAWYER When an attempt to file a case for personal injury is made without legal representation, the plaintiff should take into consideration that the defendant he is making the claim against will have experienced attorneys working and fighting on their behalf. The Insurance Research Council conducted a study in 1999 that indicated the average person will receive a settlement three and a half times larger when represented by a personal injury attorney than when presented without representation.The litigation process is often too complicated to handle alone. If a person seeking to file a claim is not knowledgeable of the law or if the case takes an unexpected turn and gets out of hand, he may consider hiring a personal injury lawyer that can evaluate every aspect of his claim and fight for all justifiable financial compensation owed to the victim.

Choosing a Personal Injury Lawyer - What to Look For

Victims who are injured in an accident that resulted from another person's negligence have two primary options in terms of recovering compensation to pay for their losses and damages. They can either recover compensation out of court through mutual negotiations, or they can take their case to trial. Although the majority of personal injury settlements are negotiated and agreed upon outside of court, it is imperative to retain a personal injury lawyer who is ready and willing to take your case to civil court. Also, taking a claim to court usually results in higher compensation. It all depends in the settlement process. Continue reading to learn the general steps to settling a personal injury claim, in and out of court. When Does a Settlement Happen?A settlement takes place when an insurer or defending party makes an offer for compensation, and the victim or plaintiff accepts the offer. This often happens outside of court. In fact, many agreements are made before a claim is even filed. If the victim has trouble receiving a fair offer, their lawyer would suggest taking the case to civil court.Settlements can also be made after a case goes to trial, but before a final verdict is made. Other times, parties might become anxious during jury deliberations, and decide to settle before their verdict comes back. This is because some defendants would rather agree to a set settlement, rather than allowing a jury to decide their fate.Full Liability ReleaseOnce a settlement is agreed upon between both parties, the plaintiff must sign a full liability release form that relinquishes all potential claims against the defendant arising out of the accident or incident. This way, the plaintiff cannot file any further lawsuits for more compensation against the defendant later on. For instance, in a slip and fall case, a store may offer a victim $25,000, but in order to receive the payment, the victim must agree to not sue the store. Most Cases SettleThe reason why most cases settle is because the defendant wants to mitigate and control their risks and avoid legal costs. Most personal injury cases involve insurance companies, who have the finances to pay out claims quickly. They even expect to pay out some claims because they are averse risk. If a claim goes to trial, they lose some control over how much they pay in recompense, as well as, court costs, attorney fees, and other legal expenses. Also, many companies settle claims because they want to avoid the public eye. With so many social media platforms these days, it is easy for one incident to result in a company being publicly criticized for their negligence.

What Do Personal Injury Lawyers Do?

For example, Find a personal injury attorney – manufacturers and/or distributors have a legal duty to not allow dangerous or harmful drugs to enter the market. Settlement Negotiations If there is obvious evidence to all parties involved that the Defendant breached his contractual duty, then the defendant may opt to settle the matter outside of court by offering monetary compensation to the plaintiff in order to prevent the plaintiff from filing a lawsuit against the defendant. If the plaintiff does not agree to the defendant’s offer, he may pursue in litigation. A settlement can be offered and negotiated after suit is filed at any time until a verdict is announced by a jury or court. Plaintiff Files a Lawsuit Against the Defendant When the plaintiff initially files a case, he must be prepared to state what the legal basis of the claim is and what type of remedy he wishes to seek in compensation for his injuries. The Defendant Files an Answer to the Plaintiff’s Claim The defendant must answer after being served by some type of official (usually a sheriff or a process server) within a certain period time.

Personal Injury Lawyers - Who Are They and What Can They Do For You?

As a personal injury attorney, I see car accident cases everyday. For me, and others like me, the process of handling such a case is not overly complicated -- after all, this IS what we do for a living.But for most people, being in an accident, and more specifically, being injured in an accident, can be stressful and overwhelming. Should you call an attorney? Should you talk with an insurance company? What do you do about medical bills piling up?Let's assume for the purpose of this article, that we have a rear end collision involving two cars, and that the Plaintiff (the person who was rear ended) suffers a neck injury, and hires an attorney. Let's also assume that the Defendant (the person who caused the accident), is insured with Company X.From the Plaintiff's standpoint, the focus should be on his or her health. Getting medical treatment and working to get back to pre-accident condition is the most important thing, regardless of the case or any other factors. I always tell my clients to focus on getting well, and let me worry about the legal issues -- that's why they hired me in the first place. Once the Plaintiff reaches maximum medical improvement (a fancy and lawyerly way of saying they're injuries are better) it's time for the attorney to really dig in and get to work. The attorney will have already notified the Defendant's insurance company, Company X, that the attorney represents the Plaintiff. There might have been some other preliminary work that could have been done while waiting on the Plaintiff to receive treatment and get well. Once the Plaintiff is released from medical treatment, the attorney will gather the Plaintiff's medical records and bills. lost wage documentation if the Plaintiff missed work, and any other documentation he thinks will be helpful to proving the Plaintiff's case.Once all of the documentation is received, the attorney will organize the information in a way that makes it paint a narrative of what the Plaintiff has been through. In my practice, I like to include a cover letter, which summarizes the medical treatment the Plaintiff received, lists the medical bills incurred, and explains any other relevant information that I think will be helpful to the case.This information is reviewed with the client for accuracy, and then forwarded to Company X, the Defendant's insurance carrier to be reviewed by a claims adjuster. Typically, the adjuster for Company X will review the information received, place a value range on the claim, and contact the Plaintiff's lawyer to make an initial settlement offer.The attorney will relay this offer to his client, and begin a series of negotiations with Company X with the hopes of being able to reach an agreement. If the two parties are unable to reach an agreement, the lawyer can file a lawsuit against the Defendant directly, and push the case into litigation.If the parties are able to reach a settlement agreement, the company will pay a lump sum of money in exchange for a release. Most injury settlements are full and final, meaning the is no consideration for payment of future medical expenses, and the insurance company is not obligated to pay the Plaintiff any other forms of compensation in the future.The money is generally sent to the Plaintiff's lawyer to be disbursed. The lawyer will deposit the money into his Client Trust Account, provide his client with a detailed accounting of where the money should be disbursed, and have the client sign off on the disbursement before releasing the funds. These funds will go to pay the lawyer, pay the medical expenses, and of course, pay the Plaintiff. Of course, this is just a general overview of the big-picture process that most attorneys go through when handling a car accident case, but every case is different.So with all of this in mind, why do you need a lawyer?As a former insurance adjuster, I can tell you that insurance carriers pay more money to people who are represented by an attorney, which hopefully leads to you receiving more money in the end (yes, even after the lawyer takes his fee).Secondly, everyone has heard the phrase, "Everything you say can and will be used against you... " and although that phrase is usually associated with criminal charges, it is still very relevant to personal injury cases. Insurance adjusters are master negotiators, trained to solicit information from you, and then use that information to save their companies money by paying you as little as possible on your case. A lawyer becomes your voice against the insurance company, and good lawyers know how to effectively communicate without compromising issues on your case.If you've been injured in an accident, err on the side of caution and consult with an attorney about your rights before talking with the insurance company.